Singapore imposes sanctions, entry bans on four Israeli West Bank settlers

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore will impose financial sanctions on four Israelis and bar them from entering the city-state, its foreign affairs ministry announced on Friday, accusing them of “egregious acts of extreme violence” against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The ministry said actions committed in the West Bank by Meir Mordechai Ettinger, Elisha Yered, Ben-Zion Gopstein and Baruch Marzel were unlawful and had jeopardised the prospects for a two-state solution in Palestine.

“As a firm supporter of international law and the two-state solution, Singapore opposes any unilateral attempts to change facts on the ground through acts which are illegal under international law,” it said.

All four individuals have been previously sanctioned by the European Union.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced in parliament in September that leaders of Israeli settler groups would be sanctioned.

He also chided Israeli politicians who had spoken about annexing parts of the West Bank or Gaza, the two Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, and said the so-called E1 settlement project would fragment the West Bank.

Apart from imposing sanctions, Balakrishnan said Singapore would also recognise a Palestine state under the right conditions.

Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area and saying the settlements provide security.

While Singapore and Israel have shared close diplomatic and military ties since the former gained independence in 1965, the city-state in 2024 voted in favour of numerous resolutions expressing support for the U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state.

(Reporting by Jun Yuan Yong; Editing by David Stanway)